Returning Home
by Amon-Ra3
Summary: Many many years ago, Hikaru vanished when Cephiro needed her again. Hikaru's friends find Duo after the war in their search. Now they seek answers. Where is Hikaru? How is she connected to Duo? Duo must find the answer and help Cephiro. Fem Duo. Hints of Duo/Heero and Hikaru/Lantis, later pre-Duo/Lantis. None of the pairings are explicit.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Magic Knights Rayearth. **

**Author's Note:** On the Magic Knights side of things I will be basing it off the anime but it can fit the manga too as I don't go into anything too distinctive on Hikaru's second trip. There is some Releena bashing as I don't particularly like the character and she was the easiest way to split Duo and Heero up so Duo would go to Cephiro. Hope you enjoy this story.

I apologize for the pronoun confusion. I though I had changed them all to her but I apparantly missed some. Sorry for the confusion. I am going through and catching the ones I missed. One reviewer was asking if Duo was confused and hadn't realized she was a girl. I suspect it was because of the pronouns but just in case anyone is still confused. Duo was born a girl but hides it because of the dangers of L2. Once she left L2, she continued to hide it because she was so used to it and didn't want to risk the dangers which were very likely if she was caught during the war.

**Returning Home**

The war had ended but she couldn't forget it. The war had ended but her duty, her experience as a soldier hadn't. She was barely sixteen years old but already a killer. She had fought for the freedom of her colony but for that very action, they disowned her. She had never gone back since the end of the war but she had kept fighting for them, even if they wouldn't fight for themselves.

The doctors didn't survive the last battle. Doctor G had been one of the last two people alive to know that Duo Maxwell, gundam pilot of Deathscythe, pilot 02, is a girl. Everyone else believed her to be a boy. She had started to hide her gender when she was barely six years old because it was safer. L2 wasn't the safest colony and it was even worse for women.

Duo and the rest of the pilots parted ways after the war. At first, they had kept in contact, especially Duo and Heero, but they had stopped. It had been gradual and it only seemed to extend to her. Quatre had mentioned a message Wufei had sent her a day before, almost a day and half since Wufei's last message to her. Quatre hadn't sent her another message after it.

Duo had long since gotten over it. She returned to L2 to try and make it a safe place. She was lucky to have the support of Lady Une, the director of the Preventers organization. Unfortunately, Releena, the Queen of the World, had some problems with Duo. These prevented Lady Une from officially supporting her project politically or financially.

Duo had her own suspicions why Releena disliked her. Releena had rescued her fellow gundam pilot, Heero Yuy, when they all first came to Earth and had a crush on him. She still believed Heero was her's despite all the indications that he saw her as more of a little sister. Duo had been in a relationship with the pilot before the communication cut which is what probably led to her dislike of Duo and her disfavor. Without communication, Duo was pretty sure her relationship with the coldest pilot was over.

The project was doing pretty well considering how big a task it was and she had practically no financial backing. Hilde Schbeiker, Mike Howard, and the rest of the sweepers had been helping him but it wasn't enough.

Despite her protests, Hilde and Howard had placed her in charge of the project. They helped and gave advice but gave Duo control over the big decisions. So when a really tall dark-haired man was looking to help with the project, he was directed to Duo. She couldn't explain how but she felt like she knew the stranger. She hired the man to see how he did. The stranger claimed his name was Lance and headed off to do the work Duo assigned.

It was a few weeks later that another man sought to join the project. This man seemed familiar as well. He was almost as tall as Lance with light blond hair. He said his name was Elijah and recognized a description of Lance when Duo mentioned the newcomer.

Over the month that followed Duo found herself seeking out the company of the new members more and more often. She also started having disturbing dreams soon after Lance arrived. In some of them, she was in what greatly resembled a gundam in appearance but lacked the machinery of one, yet it still moved and functioned as if it was alive. A few months after Elijah came, Duo told the two about the dreams. She hadn't meant to but she did. To her surprise, her two friends looked at each other and suggested a trip to Earth, specifically Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Tower was a relic from even before the Alliance. Over the years it had been added on and improved but it remained very similar in appearance to when it had first been built. People still visited it but Duo had never been. She agreed.

A week later, the three headed out. Duo had left Hilde and Howard in charge. She had also informed Lady Une about where she was going. She noticed Lance and Elijah got more nervous as they got closer to the tower. When she confronted them about it, they finally admitted their suggestion wasn't random. They claimed that the trip would give her answers. Duo was suspicious at this but also curious and she continued to follow the two to the tower.

When the three reached the top floor, Duo spent a minute enjoying the view. It was just after she started that she was hit by déjà vu and was surrounded by a bright light. When the light faded, her vision was filled with a half rocky, half grassy landscape and overcast sky. A view much different from the metallic interior and the windowed city view she had been enjoying only a moment before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Magic Knights Rayearth and Gundam Wing.

**Author's Note:** The sections with the pilots here, I changed the pronoun for Duo to her and she but one thing I should clarify. They don't actually know Duo is a girl. They think Duo is a guy. When the characters are talking, they will use masculine pronoun because the only one who knows Duo is a girl besides Duo herself is the now dead Doctor G and Howard.

Meanwhile, Duo's fellow gundam pilots were miserable. They had been for six months, ever since they cut contact with their friend, Duo. Quatre continued to run his father's company but his heart wasn't truly in it. Even his sisters had noticed that. Trowa remained with the circus that he had first used for cover but even the animals knew something was wrong and it affected his relationship with them. Wufei worked for the Preventers organization but his relationship with his boss and his fellow agents suffered. Duo had been well liked by the rest of the agents for the short time she was a preventer years ago and they all knew that Wufei was one of the reasons he had disappeared. Heero was the worst off. He worked as Releena's bodyguard. The first month had been the hardest for her. He had been heartbroken after seeing the evidence of his boyfriend's betrayal. All of the pilots had been horrified after hearing and seeing what Releena had given to him. It was a picture of Duo kissing one of their fellow agents. They had worked with the agent so they didn't disbelieve it. They believed Releena when the queen claimed the two agents had slept together; something Duo still hadn't done with Heero. They were angry Duo could hurt Heero so badly so they stopped talking to her. They had also confronted the other agent. She had been completely shocked at the accusation and the picture. She denied any relationship other than work with Duo. They never talked to her after that. Whatever Duo had done, they still missed her.

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Heero found his peaceful afternoon interrupted by a frantic knock on the door. He opened it to find Wufei on the other side in a highly agitated mood.

"Wufei, what's wrong?" he asked with the emotional detachment that had been his trademark during his pilot days. Soon after he recovered from his heartbreak, he rebuilt his wall again and let only his fellow pilots in on occasion.

"Something happened. Can I come in?" Wufei asked, calming down.

"Sure, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Do you remember Kela?" Wufei asked as he moved to the living room of the apartment and sat down.

"The girl Duo cheated on me with. What about her? We haven't seen her in months and we don't want to see her." Heero answered angrily.

"Lady Une just told me that's she's missing."

"So?" Heero asked in confusion.

"She disappeared on a mission the day after we confronted her. A mission Releena suggested sending her on." Wufei answered.

"You're being ridiculous, Wufei. You know just how dangerous a career in the Preventers is. Agents lose their lives in missions. The fact Releena suggested the mission is just a coincidence." Heero defended Releena but Wufei's news did make him a little suspicious. Unknown to the Chinese pilot, he decided to check around on his own.

Two days later, Kela's body was found dumped in a river. Wufei was chosen to examine the body considering he had been the one to find it. The wounds were consistent with Oz torture techniques and weapons. Despite the end of the war, Oz sympathizers and terrorists remained but the wounds on the now dead agent seemed almost staged. Wufei couldn't pinpoint why it felt that way and without actual facts and reasons for his suspicion there was nothing he could do.

Three days later, Heero found something else to shed light on Releena's manipulations. On certain days when scheduling was tighter than normal Releena might send Heero on an errand. This particular day was one of those. Releena had forgotten to pick up a very important disk so she asked Heero to go to her office and retrieve it. Heero used the key she gave him to get in and looked through her drawers for the disk. Releena had in fact forgotten to label the disk Heero was looking for. When he went through her desk drawer where she had said it would be and he found no disk with the proper label he was looking for. He booted up her computer and picked out all the unlabeled disk in her drawer and put them in one by one to check what was on them. One caught his eye when he looked at it. It had a picture of Kela kissing another guy who was strangely enough in the same position as Duo had been in the picture he been given years ago. They were also in the same place as the background was the same as the picture with Duo. The rest of the disk was encrypted so Heero pulled out the disk and placed it in a separate pocket to take home. He wanted to know what was on that disk because he had a bad feeling Wufei had been right.

Heero sat at home that night, decrypting the disk. Knowing Wufei would be interested the pilot called him to inform the other pilot he might have found something. Wufei promised to head straight over. The cold pilot continued decrypting the disk as he waited and before Wufei came he found something horrifying.

Wufei reached Heero's modest flat and used the extra key Heero had given to all the pilots in case of an emergency. He found Heero frozen in front of the computer with two pictures on the screen. One was the one Releena had shown the pilots but the second picture showed what could have been the first one with a different man. Wufei typed frantically for a few minutes while Heero didn't move confirming his suspicion. What he found explained his shock at their accusation. He called Trowa and Quatre. After a whisper, quite unlike Wufei's usual tone, requesting they come to Heero's place. He had something to show them. While he waited, he tried to break through Heero's shock with little success.

The two pilots reached the flat and knocked. Wufei opened the door and led them to the computer.

"There's something you need to see." He said. He had not removed the pictures from the screen.

"Is th-" Quatre gasped, seeing the similarities easily.

"Releena changed the second picture to frame Duo." Wufei explained.

"Duo ne-"

"Duo never cheated on me. We abandoned him for nothing and he doesn't even know why." Heero interrupted.

"We made a mistake." Quatre added.

"We have to find him and make it up to him." Heero agreed.

"Let's check with Lady Une. I think she kept in contact." Wufei suggested and the four pilots started for Preventer headquarters where Lady Une was likely to still be.

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Four of the ex-gundam pilots burst into Lady Une's office at 11:00 at night. Lady Une was quite annoyed and yelled at the intruders for almost an hour before asking why they had come. Apparently, she had been just about to leave.

"Where's Duo?" Heero asked bluntly.

"Why should I tell you?" the head of the Preventers asked. The question hadn't helped her irritation any considering she liked Duo and knew how they had hurt the braided pilot by breaking contact without any explanation.

"Because we found out what Releena did." Quatre answered, forgetting they hadn't told her about the picture.

"What?" Lady Une questioned.

"The picture." Quatre answered. "Didn't we tell you?'

"No. What picture?" Lady Une asked.

The pilots hurried to tell her, hoping it might convince her to tell them where their friend was.

"That explains a lot. Duo had no idea why you just stopped talking to him. To find out now of all times." Lady Une finally said.

"He really didn't know?" Heero asked, uncertain whether to be happy or sad about it. He hoped he still had a chance with the love of his life and he wasn't sure which would grant him that or if either would.

"Heero didn't tell all of us. Wufei told Trowa and I. He didn't want to talk about it. Lady Une, what's wrong?" Quatre asked, noticing the brunette leader's worry.

"I knew Releena disliked Duo. He started a project to improve L2 after you all cut contact. Releena forbid me to help. Duo hired two strangers to help with the project and later decided to take a trip to Tokyo Tower with them. They were supposed to have returned two days ago but he didn't and we can't find him anywhere. Records indicate he entered the tower with the two strangers but no indication of whether they even came out.

"Background on the strangers?" Wufei asked.

"No. It gets stranger. We tried to find out about them using names and descriptions but we found nothing." Lady Une answered.

"No criminal or military history. Birthplace?" Trowa asked abruptly.

"We couldn't find one. In fact, we couldn't find any evidence they existed at all." Lady Une explained.

"That should have shown up in Duo's background check." Quatre stated.

"The project isn't official, Quatre. It's not paid. They volunteered so Duo didn't do a background check. He couldn't afford to turn anyone away considering most of his help came from the sweepers. I tried everything to find Duo but I've hit a dead end. Duo's disappeared." Lady Une announced glumly.

Heero and the rest of the pilots searched desperately for their lost friend but they were unsuccessful.

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Releena finally realized her mistake a day after Heero found out the truth when he e-mailed her his resignation. She was furious and decided the only way to get Heero back was to get rid of Duo. This plan hit a snag when the blonde realized the pilot had disappeared, leaving her no choice but to wait until her rival resurfaced.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Magic Knights Rayearth or Gundam Wing.

Duo found himself in a strange land, unaware of the controversy his disappearance would cause. Lance and Elijah watched him careful. Duo wasn't actually angry. Something about the land calmed him, much like his gundam, Deathscythe, had.

"So, did you intend to bring me here or is it just as much of a surprise to you?" Duo asked with a grin, already suspecting the answer.

"We need your help. We honestly weren't sure if you could get here." Elijah offered in explanation.

A giant white fish with a pink creature resembling a cream puff with a red gem set in its forehead and long ears sticking up from the sides of its head. The pink creature jumped over to Duo who caught the puffball instinctively.

"So, who's the puffball?" Duo asked as he followed his two companions onto the fish.

"Mokona." The puffball cried.

The fish flew swiftly to a three-tiered castle in the distance which was more elaborate and magnificent than any building Duo had seen. It was in direct contrast to the scarred land below.

"What's that?" Duo asked.

"Our destination." Lance answered.

"It doesn't have a name. Those possessing the strongest hearts created it many years ago to protect the people when Cephiro was falling. Now that it is falling again, we use it as we had to do then." Elijah filled him in.

"Cephiro?" Duo asked.

"Here. The land we're in." Elijah answered.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Cephiro is a land of will. The heart means more here. Magic comes from the power of the heart. Cephiro cannot exist without the power of heart to will it. A central figure, which had to devote themselves completely to praying for Cephiro's existence, used to uphold the land and formed the main connection to your world. There have been many times since Cephiro was created that the power had become distracted or unable to pray for just Cephiro. This caused problems because the only way to gain a new pillar is for one to be born at the death of the current pillar that can only be killed by a person from another world. Only those from another world can gain the Rune Gods and become Magic Knights to save Cephiro by killing the pillar. The problem started with the pillar before the last, Princess Emeraude. She fell in love with her high priest, who kidnapped her and tried to stop the three girls she had summoned from another world from becoming Magic Knights and fulfilling Princess Emeraude's wish to save Cephiro by killing her. They succeeded but they saw so much suffering and suffered themselves because of this system. When they returned after finishing their task, Cephiro was falling apart without a pillar. In the end, Hikaru Shido, one of the Magic Knights was chosen as the pillar since she had the strongest heart. Unwilling to risk someone suffering as she and her friends had when they were forced to kill Princess Emeraude, Hikaru abolished the pillar system placing the responsibility of willing Cephiro's existence to all of its people. Unfortunately, she disappeared before she could do anything. Without a leader to unite them, their wills strayed and the ruined landscape you see is the result. We need a pillar but the only one who can reestablish the system is the last pillar." Elijah explained.

"How can I help?" Duo asked.

"We're taking you to Master Mage Clef." Elijah answered and refused to say anything else.

Elijah and Lance were ambushed immediately upon dismounting the fish. Elijah's two male companions wore green and white jumpsuits with short dark hair. The youngest one looked to be in his early teens and wore a strange visor. The older one had a scarred check and wore a white headband. Lance faced a much larger group composed of three men and women each. The first two women to reach him wore simple modestly cut dresses in green and blue. Their hands were adorned with off white gloves decorated with a large circular gem of matching colors to their dresses inset in the back of one of the hands. The woman with the green gem had short brown hair and wore large glasses. The second woman had long blue hair which matched the blue of her dress and gem perfectly. The last woman wore a skimpy yellowish bikini. A thin white scarf was draped across her arms and behind her back. Her short pink hair tied up in a ponytail contrasted perfectly with her mocha colored skin. One of the men wore full length blue armor with a broadsword strapped to his belt. His light brown hair finished in a thin ponytail reaching just past his shoulder. His long green cape billowed behind him as he walked. The second male wore baggy sandy colored pants and a green overcoat which greatly resembled robes. His long brown bangs covered the top half of his face obscuring his eyes. The third male followed behind the green clothed woman. His short green hair was also held in a ponytail and an x-shaped scar adorned his check. He wore a formal white shirt and pants accompanied by a white cape and a single small gold hoop earring.

"Did you find her, Eagle?" the youngest male asked Elijah.

"Eagle? Her?" Duo asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yes. My name is actually Eagle and my companion is actually named Lantis. I'll take you to Master Mage Clef." Eagle explained quickly and dragged the confused teen through the crowd with a meaningful glance at Lantis.

Duo was not expecting Clef to look like a short white haired boy. He was. He wore flowing white robes and a curved brown horn adorned his forehead and various colored gems decorated his robes. He carried a tall staff. Eagle had explained the mage's roles in Cephiro since Princess Emeraude's death.

"Eagle, who is this?" Clef asked neutrally.

"We couldn't find her. We found him instead, exactly where you directed us to. He seems to have some connection to Hikaru." Eagle explained.

"I understand. What is your name?" Clef asked Duo.

"Duo Maxwell. Lantis and Eagle mentioned some problems. I was hoping to help." Duo answered respectfully. This was the most powerful man in Cephiro currently.

"Lantis and Eagle went to your world hoping to find Hikaru. We believe she as the last pillar of Cephiro is the only one who can reestablish the pillar system and save Cephiro. Both Lantis and Eagle volunteered to do this. They are two of the four people most closely connected to her. It seems their connections led them to you instead. I will see how you can help but for now. Do you have any idea why they were led to you?" Clef asked curiously.

"No. I had never heard of Hikaru or Cephiro before I came." Duo answered regretfully.

"We will be happy to giv-" Clef answered understandably. He was interrupted by a loud blaring and a slight blinking of the lights. The blond-haired man in dark blue armor from earlier rushed into the room.

"Master Clef, a monster has appeared in the living corridors. The others have already started to locate it." The man explained.

"Go join them, Lafarga. Eagle, please escort Duo to his-" Clef started, only to be interrupted by Duo.

"I can help." Duo suggested unwilling to lay around while people were in danger.

No one argued so Duo, without Eagle, followed Lafarga through long grey corridors. After minutes of running through the corridors they came across what looked like a giant blue raptor trying to grab a small black haired boy. Lafarga had already attacked the creature and Duo prepared to follow when she realized she didn't have any kind of weapons. She had not been carrying any weapons since she was no longer a gundam pilot and only intended to do a bit of sightseeing at Tokyo Tower with her two new friends. Duo growled, wishing for a weapon and a sword appeared in her hands as if in answer. It was a familiar weapon which Duo had wielded many times in her dreams with an elaborate red handle. Duo could use a sword but she found herself longing for a scythe, her favorite training weapon and the weapon her gundam had wielded. The sword changed into a long red-handled scythe with a picture of a roaring red fire decorating the curved metal blade. Duo felt her body incased in a red skirted armor and long off white boots reaching about halfway up her legs. Black leggings stretched down her legs ending under the boots. Thin matching gloves appeared the same size as the two women's she had seen before, appeared in the center of the back of her right hand. Duo smiled and joined the fight. The two warriors took the monster down quickly. The young boy the raptor sought to harm had fled to a corner during the fight to avoid damage. It was only now with her attention more focused that Duo realized she felt uneasy when she looked the boy and unbearably sad and guilty.

She was torn from her scrutiny by a gasp from Lantis who had just arrived at the end of the fight with the crowd that had rushed to welcome the two searchers upon their return to Cephiro. She was drawn back to her scythe as it burst into a stream of light disappearing into the gem on her hand.

"What?" Duo asked, turning her attention back to the watching group.

Clef and Eagle's arrival at the site of their battle broke the silence. Clef recognized the armor as everyone else had. Except the weapon which had changed and the leggings, the armor looked almost exactly like the evolved version of Hikaru's armor which Clef had granted the fire elemental Magic Knight on their first trip to Cephiro.

"It is late. Let us sleep for tonight. Lafarga, make sure young Darien gets back to his rooms safely." Clef ordered even as the armor faded from Duo's body. The puzzle of how Duo had the armor and wielded it remained for another day.

Clef knew of Duo's dreams. Eagle had informed him upon Duo's departure. Despite his decision to solve the puzzle of Duo tomorrow, Clef took advantage of the opportunity presenting itself by leading Duo to the guest rooms himself.

"Duo, have you ever used that armor before?" he asked as they walked.

"No, not outside of dreams." Duo answered easily.

"Dreams?"

"Yeah. They started when I met Lantis and got worse after Eagle showed up. The weapon I used was a sword though." Duo explained.

"Where did you grow up?" Clef asked, changing tacks.

"A colony in space called L2. It's not a safe place but I've never been able to abandon it. It's . . . ." Duo trailed off.

"-home." Clef finished for her with an understanding smile.

"Yeah." Duo agreed as they reached the rooms Duo was intended to use.

"Good night, Duo." Clef said softly and left Duo to settle in the rooms.

The room was more richly decorated than she expected. The bedroom was two times bigger than the biggest rooms on L2. A large four poster bed was arranged against the back wall which contained long windows overlooking the desolate land. Wooden dressers were scattered around containing two or three drawers. A quick search revealed rich comfortable clothing which Clef must have created for her during the fight. Duo grabbed a pair of red silk pajamas pants and shirt to dress in. She finished dressing for bed and took Clef's advice to sleep. She wondered what had happened to Hikaru and how they were connected even as she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I own neither Gundam Wing or Magic Knights Rayearth. I love watching them though.

Duo's sleep was interrupted as she was pulled into an alternate dimension. She landed on a long stone pillar with only darkness around her. A giant red gundam much like Deathscythe appeared in front of her.

"Welcome back, girl from another world. Are you in need of my assistance again?" the gundam asked.

"I might. How'd you know I'm a girl?" Duo asked curiously.

"I have known from the beginning. You have always been so since your first trip to this world."

"My first trip? Who are you?" Duo finally asked.

"I am Rayearth, the Rune God you awoke when you were first drawn to Cephiro."

"Who was I when I came here before? What was my name?" Duo asked. They were the right questions.

"You are Hikaru Shido, Magic Knight and previous pillar of Cephiro." Rayearth answered, ignoring Duo's shocked expression, "If you need me, call my name. I will come."

Duo couldn't even answer as she jerked awake in the room Clef had escorted her to hours before. Rayearth had answered many of Duo's questions but many were still unanswered. If she was in fact Hikaru, how had she ended up on L2 and why were her memories so indistinct?

There was a knock on Duo's door. It was Eagle, asking if Duo was interested in a tour of the castle. Duo spent the next few days learning as much about Hikaru and Cephiro as she could. Cephiro's problems were simple. Without a unifying symbol like the pillar, the people's hearts were scattered. Stronger wills would falter and wish for something else or the danger in the land would frighten them and their wishes would darken. Restoring the pillar was not the right solution. Duo had asked Clef about the position and specifically the drawbacks. Clef had told her of the single mindset the pillar had to have and what the position required its occupant to sacrifice. After fighting a war, Duo had no intention of losing her own freedom or forcing another to lose their own. Hikaru was an even more interesting subject. Eagle had already told Duo the story but no one could explain her disappearance. Duo had discovered a close connection between Hikaru and Lantis which Duo suspected might have been love. Hikaru had made a third trip to Cephiro after her first two. Her two friends, Umi and Fuu, had also fallen in love with men from Cephiro. Duo could imagine Hikaru's despair when she had returned to find Cephiro falling apart again. Eagle and Clef's insistence that Hikaru reestablish the pillar system would have put the crimson haired teen into a very painful position but Duo fully believed she wouldn't have just left despite the belief of many people in Cephiro that she had done just that.

Duo had talked to Umi and Fuu who had been the girls in the colored dresses who greeted Lantis when Duo first entered Cephiro. They were quick to assure Duo that Hikaru knew what she had to do and already planned to do as Eagle and Clef have asked her to. The third Magic Knight had risked her life for Cephiro and its people. Duo couldn't believe she would just leave.

The one thing Duo couldn't understand about the conclusion she had been given by Rayearth was the timing. Hikaru had disappeared at the age of eighteen but Duo remembered her life on L2 since she was four. The other strange timing was how long it had been on Earth. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu had lived on Earth almost 80 years ago. Duo lived almost 200 years later. There was only one thing she could do to get answers. Duo spent the next few days talking to anyone who had known Hikaru closely. Her best lead was a young boy name Darien who had lost his family during the evacuation of the castle. It took her almost a week after her arrival to Cephiro before she managed to talk to Darien. The visit was enlightening. Duo had barely mentioned Hikaru's name when the boy started ranting about the pillar system and about if Hikaru hadn't avoided her responsibility to become pillar his family would have survived. It was obvious Darien blamed the disappeared Magic Knight for his family's death and hated her and her decision to end the pillar system. Lantis had told he that Hikaru had gone to talk to Darien and that was the last he or any of the others had seen her. With Darien's attitude, Duo understood. Darien probably wished from his heart that Hikaru would disappear and/or suffer horribly. The land granted it and sent Hikaru to L2, changing her age and appearance to make it as difficult to find her as possible and blocked her memories to prevent her from trying to return herself. If she was correct that is how Hikaru became Duo.

Duo caught up with Clef after leaving Darien. She wanted to ask the mage if her theory made sense. As it turns out, everyone was in the throne room trying to figure out how to save Cephiro.

"I hate having to bring Hikaru back just so she can sacrifice her freedom and become the pillar." Eagle was saying as Duo entered Clef's throne room.

"She may not need to." Duo interrupted as he entered.

"Do you have an idea?" Fuu asked curiously.

"We need a pillar."

"That's no different than the old system." Ascot, the boy in green robes, argued angrily.

"What is Cephiro's main problem? Why isn't it stable?" Duo asked

"No one's praying for its stability. Everyone's wishing for different things." Umi answered.

"Then we need something to remind them of what's most important. The pillar was considered a symbol of that stability as the pillar prayed for it. Cephiro needs that symbol again." Duo explained.

"But the sacrifice." Umi argued.

"There doesn't need to be any. We use the pillar as a symbol, a reminder." Duo argued.

"Wouldn't that make the pillar an empty position of no real importance?" Ferio, the white caped guy, asked uncertainly.

"No. The pillar can still pray for Cephiro's stability but they don't need to be the only one. That way if their heart falters, the people of Cephiro can pick up the slack." Duo answered.

"So use the people of Cephiro as backup?" Lafarga questioned.

"Basically. This system would use the strength of everyone's hearts, not just the pillar. Everyone would be responsible for helping when the pillar was weaker or distracted." Duo finished explaining.

"Will it work?" Caldina, the darker skinned woman, asked Clef.

"It might." Clef answered thoughtfully.

"We still need Hikaru to restart the system, don't we?" Geo, Eagle's older friend, asked.

"Can we even find her?" Lady Aska, ruler of Fahren, asked. She had black hair in pigtails and wore a long red dress while carrying a plain fan. She had returned to Cephiro to try and help when she found out it was deteriorating again.

"We can." Lantis answered confidently.

"We just have to try again" Eagle agreed.

Duo's mind raced as she realized what her plan meant she had to do. She didn't want to admit who she might be until she remembered more or got to know everyone better. She had been burned by friends before. Besides she had changed, she was afraid they wouldn't accept her but Cephiro didn't have the time. Zazu, Eagle's other companion noticed something was going on with Duo because he drew everyone's attention when he asked if she was okay. She hesitated.

"Is something wrong, Duo?" Fuu asked.

"I went to talk to Darien. He blames Hikaru for his family's death. He claims his family would be alive if she had taken the responsibility of the pillar. Maybe he's right. Master Clef, is it possible for someone to wish strongly enough to send even a pillar, who supposedly has the strongest will in Cephiro, away and have the wish succeed?" Duo asked softly.

"Maybe. It would depend on the strengths of their hearts when the wish was made." Clef answered, unsure where Duo's question was leading.

"If Hikaru doubted herself and Darien's hatred was strong enough, could it work?" Duo asked, needing to be sure.

"Yes. Why?" Clef asked.

"You believe that is what happened?" Fuu asked politely.

"Yes."

"Where'd he send her?" Umi asked in disbelief.

"Just away to where no one would find her and where she'd be miserable." Duo answered, hoping they wouldn't push any further.

"Do you know where?" Caldina demanded.

"Maybe." Duo answered, trying to avoid answering but unwilling to outright lie to any of them.

"Where's our friend?" Umi demanded suddenly.

"I think she was sent to L2." Duo finally admitted.

"You mean she went through time?" Fuu clarified.

"Yes."

"It explains why Lantis and Eagle were sent to L2." Clef agreed.

"We have to go back and find her." Eagle insisted.

"We already did, didn't we, Duo?" Lantis argued abruptly having seen the fear on Duo's face at Eagle's exclamation.

"W-W-Wh-Why would you say that?" Duo stuttered.

"L2 seemed like a dangerous colony from even the little we saw of it. I have seen similar in some of the darker areas of Eagle's homeland. It is particularity dangerous for girls. What are you, Duo?" Lantis asked confidently and sadly.

"A girl." Duo answered in a small voice.

"You're-" Eagle started.

"Hikaru!" Umi cried, running forward and grabbing the black-haired orphan around the waist.

"Why didn't you come back?" Presea's sister, a brunette wearing a loose white blouse and pants, asked while everyone recovered from their shock at the revelation. She had pretended to be her sister who had died protecting the Magic Knights during their first visit to Cephiro but had finally come clean to Umi and Fuu after Hikaru disappeared. Umi finally released Duo from her death grip aka hug.

"I didn't remember." Duo shouted and ran off before anyone could react. She called Rayearth and without conscience thought stepped into the light beam shining down from a circular badge on the Rune God's chest. She was too upset to notice her clothes change to the red armor minus the legging from the fight in the corridor. Her only thought was getting away before they could reject her as she believed they would.

Everyone had rushed to follow when they realized she had run. They reached the closest castle exit only to see Rayearth take off and disappear in a bright flash a second later.

Clef tried everything he could to reach Duo but with no luck. All he managed to do was ascertain Duo's location back on L2. Lantis and Eagle insisted on being the ones to return to Earth and talk to Duo. They had no idea what danger they would be in upon their return to Duo's home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Gundam Wing or Magic Knights Rayearth.

Duo managed to land on her feet as she reappeared in Tokyo Tower. She had no idea what to do now. She shouldn't have run. Cephiro still needed her whether everyone was still her friend or not but she couldn't handle seeing Lantis everyday knowing he wanted nothing to do with her. The others were the same. She was lost. With a final sigh, she headed out of the tower. Maybe Hilde and Howard could help her figure out what to do, she certainly had no clue.

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Duo had disappeared a week ago. Lady Une had put out an alert for Lance and Elijah at the pilots insistence. With nothing else to do, Quatre had started funding the L2 cleanup project. Unlike Lady Une, Releena did not fund his company. He was away on company business when Lady Une finally got a tip. Lance and Elijah had been seen leaving Tokyo Tower. It didn't take long to get another tip that they were at the spaceport near the tower. With a request to delay the two as long as possible to the staff of the spaceport, the remaining pilots and Lady Une headed over. Lance and Elijah had figured out something was wrong by the time the group had arrived. They tried to resist the arrest but with so many people around they couldn't risk a fight and ended up in the custody of the Preventers. They hoped Duo would find out what had happened as the pilots started interrogating them.

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Upon reaching L2, Duo headed straight to her office where Hilde or Howard might be. It was actually the room where they filed important documents and filled in the little paperwork they had but everyone considered it Duo's office. It seemed Hilde was in charge as it was the dark haired woman Duo found in the room. She was very happy to see the teen.

"We were worried, Duo. What happened to you?" Hilde demanded as she hugged Duo.

"I went to Tokyo Tower with Lance and Elijah. I already told you that." Duo answered suspiciously.

"We couldn't find you. Everyone thought they kidnapped you." Hilde said.

"I'm an ex-gundam pilot. They could have if they wanted and they didn't try. I went with them willingly." Duo argued neglecting to admit they actually might have if she hadn't agreed. "We went sightseeing."

"Why didn't you call?" Hilde asked suspiciously.

"I deposited Quatre's check into the new account." An older male voice interrupted before Duo could answer.

"Quatre's what?" Duo questioned as Howard stepped into the room.

"The pilots c-" Hilde started.

"Duo! Where have you been?" Howard demanded, noticing the teen.

"Tokyo, sightseeing. What about the pilots?" Duo answered shortly.

"Why dincha ya call?" Howard asked.

"You told me I needed a break. I took one. I don't need to tell you everything I do. I started this project so if I want a vacation I shouldn't have to tell you every little detail. The Tokyo sightseeing was a last minute decision anyway." Duo answered hotly.

"Sorry, Duo, we weren't actually worried at first. We asked Lady Une to check on where you were when you hadn't returned on time. Then Heero and the other pilots started asking about you. They believed you were kidnapped and convinced Lady Une to put out an alert for your kidnappers. When Quatre found out about the project and that we had no funding he insisted on funding it." Hilde answered as Duo's face grew stormy. Duo didn't actually mind Quatre's assistance on the project but to try to come back into her life and start such a mess over her vacation made her furious.

"Alright. How do things stand?" Duo asked, she'd tell them about Cephiro later.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Gundam Wing or Magic Knights Rayearth. Wouldn't mind through if someone could help me out. *sigh* Guess not.

Duo still hadn't gotten the chance to tell Hilde and Howard about Cephiro much less ask them for their advice. Duo had also not told Lady Une of her return, concerned the pilots would find out.

A week later, her time ran out. Quatre was returning from his frequent absences to help with the project. He had already told Howard he wouldn't be staying long because the pilots were working on something important. At first, she intended to hide but Hilde managed to talk her out of it claiming she had to deal with the pilots eventually. Duo reluctantly agreed and sent a message to Lady Une of her return. Hilde was given permission to inform Quatre of Duo's return. The blond-haired pilot immediately rushed off to find his fellow pilot. Duo wasn't expecting the hug when the blond entered her bedroom. As soon as she realized who it was, she pushed him away, ignoring the flash of hurt that passed Quatre's face. He had abandoned her. Duo didn't consider him a friend and it was time he realized that. Still, she needed to hear the reason.

"Why?" she asked without even saying hello.

Quatre launched into an explanation. It didn't help. Duo couldn't imagine how the gundam pilots, some of the greatest hackers and computer experts, could be deceived by a spoiled brat's photo shop. To make it even worse, Heero hadn't even confronted her about it, or let her defend herself. He had believed it and left Duo out to dry, dragging her friends with him. Duo had never realized how much she had hoped to reconcile with her friends. One day, she had wanted to believe they would explain why they had left. She had always imagined so many good reasons for their silence but this wasn't one of them. Her hope shattered and she realized she had no choice. Cephiro needed her and there was nothing left for her here. Hilde and Howard would clean up L2 as she wanted. No one else could rebuild the pillar system and save Cephiro.

"We had no idea you would come back here but those strangers won't have a chance kidnap you again." Quatre finished happily.

"Kidnap? I went on vacation Quatre." Duo answered exasperatedly.

"To Tokyo Tower but you didn't come back out. We checked. No one saw you."

"So you thought I'd been kidnapped?!" Duo cried indignantly mentally ignoring the part of her that argued that the two had technically been planning on kidnapping her initially.

"Lady Une told us about the strangers and their lack of records. We found them though and they're secured in Preventer's custody. We'll figure out who they are soon. Don't worry." Quatre assured the braided teen.

"You have Lanti-Lance and Elijah?!" Duo puttered.

"The strangers? Yes. It's why I've been so busy. We've been trying to find out where they left you. "

"They didn't leave me anywhere. You're calling Lady Une and telling her to let my friends go." Duo demanded.

"Friends? I thought we wer-Wait!" Quatre cried running after his old friend who had already figured out the blond teen intended to argue with her. If Quatre wouldn't call himself, Duo would convince Lady Une to release the two prisoners.

Luckily, Quatre's first contribution was communicators that were powerful enough to connect to most places on Earth including Lady Une's office. She didn't take long to answer.

"Hello, Lady Une. I need a favor." Duo started.

"I'm glad you called. I've been trying to reach you since I got your message." Lady Une said.

"About Lance and Elijah? They didn't kidnap me. I need you to release them."

"They don't have any records." Lady Une argued.

"I know. They're not from here. Let me talk to them.

"Duo, I ran-"

"Please. They aren't a threat." Duo begged.

"I'll go get them." Lady Une finally agreed.

Duo heard the door open and close as the tall brunette left. She had been waiting five minutes when she heard the door open again.

"Did you ev-" Duo started. She stopped. Lady Une's face hadn't entered the screen nor was it the two she was waiting for. It was Heero.

"Duo! You're alright. I was so worried. I didn't know you were back." The first pilot cried.

"I didn't want you too especially when I found out why you abandoned me. You didn't even have the decency to give me a chance to explain or tell me that we were done. You just stopped talking to me." Duo answered angrily.

"How?"

"Quatre told me. He told me why all of you stopped talking to me. A picture, honestly. You left me with nothing." Duo answered.

"I'm sorry. I was angry. I didn't think I could face you while I felt so betrayed. I never thought Releena would . . . ."

"Of course not. You were too blind." Duo snapped.

"Duo, I love you. Please, let me make it up to you. We can start again." Heero pleaded.

"I love you too but I can't forget what you've done or forgive right now. I'm wai-"

"Heero, what are y-" a familiar voice demanded. Lady Une had returned.

"I was going t- What are they doing here?" Heero demanded abruptly as he looked to the left of the screen.

"Lance?! Elijah?!" Duo shouted.

"Duo?! Are you alright?" Eagle's familiar voice demanded, coming up behind Heero with Lantis. They were still in the Cephiron attire Duo had never seen them out of but the clothes were ripped and torn in a way Duo easily recognized from her own torture training. Bruises and scratches littered their faces and the parts of their arms she could see.

"I'm fine. Sorry I ran." Duo answered.

"What were you afraid of?" Lantis asked knowingly.

"Of rejection, blame but we don't have time right now. You two need to return home and stay there, okay?" Duo answered.

"And you?" Lantis asked with what Duo recognized as a trace of fear.

"I'll join you as soon as I finish up here. Just promise you won't come back. I'll come and have Fuu take a look at you when you get back, got it?" Duo demanded.

"We promise." Eagle conceded. "Good to have you back."

"Is that enough for you, Lady Une?" Duo asked. Lady Une's sigh was answer enough.

"Are you leaving, Duo?" Quatre asked after finally catching up. Howard and Hilde followed.

"As soon as I've settled the project. I'll need to find someone to take over unless you two are up to it." Duo answered looking at Howard and Hilde.

"Of course we are." Hilde agreed.

"Duo, you can-"

"I've found where I belong, Heero. I may return but I won't be staying long. They need me and I need them. Let them and me go." Duo interrupted and cut the commlink.

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Duo showed up at Preventer headquarters less than two days later to escort Lantis and Eagle home as Lady Une requested. The disguised girl escorted them happily through she wasn't willing to cross over yet. A quick message once she got out to assure Lady Une she was fine and she was on her way back to L2 to complete tying up the loose ends she needed to before disappearing. Five days later, Duo disappeared from L2. She reached Tokyo Tower easily and snuck in late at night. With a heartfelt wish, a bright light engulfed her. Duo was on her way to where she truly belonged, Cephiro and the man she had come to love a lifetime ago and had started to love again.


End file.
